Seth Stohs

Check out Mike Berardino's Top Ten Twins Propsects Chat from Baseball America this afternoon: http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1416001091

I know Jesse Crain was... Not sure about others. Maybe Neshek in 05?

I'm good with Berardino's rankings. I think they're fair. We all have our "favorites" or guys we really believe in and may put higher than others. I know I'm guilty of that. I think if this were a Top 15 or 20 list, there are still a lot of guys who would have us excited.

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired outfielder Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden from the Atlanta Braves. In return, the Braves receive righty Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. The Cardinals get an All Star right fielder who has also won Gold Glove Awards. The Braves get a still-young Miller who has experienced quite a bit of success and a former 1st round pick in Jenkins. What do you think? Cardinals give up pitching which means they have more pitching. Braves just keep stockpiling pitchers.

Russell Martin will play in his home country. The catcher signed a 5 year, $82 million contract to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. What do you think? Silly-ness!

Per Baseball America's Matt Eddy, the Twins have re-signed BJ Hermsen and James Beresford.

Correct... But, at the same time, we also have to realize that Rosario did great in 115 plate appearances in the AFL, but he was pretty bad in 370 plate appearances during the last 4 months of the regular season. So, we do need to step back and realize that Rosario isn't a finished "product."

I think Rosario goes into spring training with a chance to make the opening day roster. I think it's a small chance, but a chance. I believe that he can play at least an average big league centerfield. I think he can be well above average in left field. Obviously with Buxton in the picture, left field is much more realistic. However, Rosario can play CF and when Buxton is ready, he can move to left field without any concern. I think Rosario needed the Fall League and he did exactly what he needed to do there. I think Kepler needed the Fall League, and he did exactly what he needed to do there! Good showing for both of them, as well as for Jake Reed.

I think he moves up to Rochester, though it would be fun to see him in the lineup with Chattanooga too.

Yeah, it's impossible to know unless one were to be able to ask him individually. Obviously Buxton and Sano are the ones who will get asked about. I believe Berardino asked Rosario about him in Arizona, but no one has asked Molitor about Rosario. I do know this. Over the last bunch of years (likely since 2005 or whenever he became a minor league instructor, he has received daily updates on every minor league team and most every minor league player. He's read all of those reports, I'm sure. He's also seen all of them, likely aside from those brought into the organization the last year or two.

Here is video of the Eddie Rosario home run today.

The Arizona Fall League season came to a close with the championship game on Saturday, with the West Division champion Peoria Javelinas facing the East Division champion Salt River Rafters, the team for which Minnesota Twins prospects play.The teams traded haymakers inning after inning in Scottsdale, AZ, with seven total home runs and twenty-one runs scored. Eddie Rosario got the festivities started for the Rafters, launching a 1-1 pitch deep over the right field fence off Peoria starter Miguel Almonte of the Kansas City Royals for an early 1-0 lead. In his next at-bat in the third inning, Rosario brought in the the third Rafters run with a hard ground ball single to centerfield, scoring Joe Sclafini. He would end up being picked off a batter later, but the damage was done. Peoria took the lead 6-3 after scoring three runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but the Rafters kept pace with two of their own in each of the fifth and sixth. In the bottom of the fifth, with the score 6-5, Rosario faced a tough lefty in the person of Royals farmhand Daniel Stumpf, and proceeded to drill another hard ground ball to center for his third hit in three at-bats. The Twins' Taylor Rogers came in to start the sixth inning for Salt River, and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Royals outfield prospect Bubba Starling. However, he retired the next five hitters, before Reid Redman was brought in to face Hunter Dozier, also of the Royals, to end the top of the seventh. It was the bottom half of the 7th inning when the Rafters blew the game open, and Rosario again played a large part. His double on the first pitch he saw one-hopped the right field wall, putting runners on second and third. An intentional walk brought Max Kepler to the plate. Kepler quickly fell behind 0-2, but laid off four consecutive pitches in the dirt and drew an RBI walk to score the inning's first run. He was 0-4 for the game with the walk, RBI,and run scored. With runners on first and second and two outs, after six more runs had scored in the frame, Rosario got another chance. On an 0-2 pitch, he put good wood on the ball. Unfortunately, this line drive was snared by the rightfielder to end the inning. The eighth and ninth innings were uneventful, and Rosario, Kepler, Rogers and the rest of the Twins prospects and Rafters roster celebrated the victory. Rosario finished the game 4-5 and just a triple shy of the cycle, with two runs scored and two RBI, to obviously take home (my) player of the game honors. Congratulations to Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Byron Buxton, Jason Adam, Zack Jones, Jake Reed and Taylor Rogers on their AFL Championship. Each player will receive a championship ring. It will be the second ring of the year for Kepler and Jones who were also on the Florida State League champion Ft. Myers Miracle. Click here to view the article

It was forearm... it's all good.

What's revisionist about what I wrote? It's a theoretical question. It's not meant to say that it was a bad deal. I would never say that it was excessive. As I said, I think he would have got more had he been a free agent. The question simply is IF he was a free agent, what would he get this offseason. It's a fair question. No one is pretending it's real. Just a What If.

Travis Aune tweeted this morning a question that I found very interesting. If Joe Mauer was a free agent, what kind of contract do you think he would get. In real life, he has 4 years, $92 million remaining on his contract. We can all agree that had he been allowed to become a free agent a year later, he likely would have made more in terms of years and dollars. However, what if the 31-year-old was a free agent today. What kind of contract would he be able to get. He's had an incredible career with all the batting titles, silver sluggers, gold gloves and an MVP. But, his 2014 season obviously wasn't great and he had moved to first base. Victor Martinez, at 36 was able to get four years and $68 million from the Tigers to play DH. So, what do you think? What would Mauer and his agent (Mr. Shapiro) be able to command in free agency this year? My initial guess was that he could get three years and $45 million. What do you think?

How many players from Korea, Japan and Cuba have the magical Rays signed?

That's right. I recall that as well. It came as a surprise that he was able to do that.

Or Glynn. Or Vavra. Great point!

Viola hasn't been involved in the Twins organization since he was traded during the 1989 season. That's 25 years. Sure, he's been at Twins Fest once or twice since retiring. To me, it's not even a big deal. Gene Glynn has been with the Twins organization for like 3 of his 30+ years as a coach in baseball. Sure, he's from Minnesota and the last three years he's been a minor league manager, but he's also been a big league coach for four organizations and a scout in the fifth. Seems very, maybe over-qualified. As a Minnesotan, I would personally take a lot of pride in the fact that there are good options from my state. Guys who have a ton of time in the game and do bring their own perspectives. I just don't see the negative.

He was planning on being done about this time anyway. Now he can go get married and enjoying his offseason. Not that he wanted to end on a 2-21 slump, but this isn't huge news.

He said it in passing when asked if Plouffe could move to the OF when Sano is ready. He basically said, "Maybe, or Sano could move to the OF." People kind of ran with it, but in reality, they aren't looking to move Sano now.

Sure, I could put pretty much anyone out on the outfielder list as a possibility... I'll move him there when there begins to be any indication that they would do it. No thought of it yet.

I know Quesada served the full 50 games. Gallant and Rosario and Vargas and Hamburger and Harrington and Swarzak all did. It really seemed like Jonatan Hinojosa's was a little quicker than 50 games last year. Recall, he was called up to Cedar Rapids, played in one game and then the suspension began. He returned to Elizabethton for their opening games. I'm sure that's close to fifty as well.

So here's the question for the Twins Daily readers: Would you swap Ricky Nolasco and his contract for Ubaldo Jimenez and his contract? The contracts are very close to the same. They both have three years left. What say you? I think I'd role with Nolasco as I think he's much more likely to rebound to be solid.

I think Viola has to be the favorite for the pitching coach position. Bench coach - I have no idea. I don't think there's any real good reason that it is or should be a former manager. I think that need is overblown. Maybe Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor think there is some value in that. I don't necessarily though. I'd say Ozzie Guillen is very unlikely.